It's a new season, the weather forecast is promising, and the team has a few new faces.
But when they take the field tomorrow afternoon for Homecoming 2006, the Jumbos will be looking for a repeat of last season's 34-7 drubbing of the Bates Bobcats. With a dominant start to the 2006 season, the team is well on its way.
Last week, Tufts opened their season in style, posting a 17-0 shutout win over Hamilton. The win was the Jumbos' first triumph at home since a 14-12 win on Homecoming 2004-over Bates.
"Coming off a tough season, it's good to get back on the right track by winning the first game in convincing fashion," senior safety Bryan McDavitt said. "Obviously, we are optimistic to keep things rolling."
The Jumbos enter Homecoming Weekend riding the momentum of the Hamilton victory and expect more of the same. The Tufts defense held Hamilton to 230 total yards, only 48 on the ground, and had five interceptions to go along with four sacks. The Jumbo offense was paced by junior running back Brendan Georges who rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown.
"Any time you get a win, it's a nice confidence builder, especially to open up the season," sophomore wide receiver David Halas said. "We always want to take steps forward. [Saturday] is an opportunity to prove ourselves, gain our confidence, and get going toward the rest of the season."
Senior quarterback Matt Russo turned in a solid performance in his first collegiate start, finishing the day 13 for 18 for 145 yards through the air, including the 46-yard touchdown strike to Halas. He got some help from his team's stingy defense and aggressive running game, both of which took some pressure off the senior in his first collegiate start.
"The way Matt Russo managed the game, his poise and composure, was very impressive," coach Bill Samko said. "It was a good first game."
Bates, which matched Tufts' 2-6 record last season, started its 2006 schedule with decidedly less gusto than the Jumbos, struggling on both sides of the ball in a 31-6 loss at Amherst.
The Bobcats' defense features nine returning starters, and was expected to be the team's strong point this season. Amherst quickly put that to rest, however, posting 344 total yards, including 260 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Despite the leadership of First Team All-NESCAC defensive end Terence Ryan, the Bobcats' ran into trouble against the Lord Jeffs last weekend, giving the Amherst offense great field position throughout the
game.
The Bates offense wasn't much better than its defense, as the unit managed just 159 total yards. Senior running back Jamie Walker will look to improve upon his 48-yard output, and quarterback Brandon Colon, who completed only 10 passes and threw two interceptions against the Lord Jeffs, will look to return to his NESCAC Rookie of the Year form of two years ago.
Colon's main target tomorrow will likely be Dylan McNamara, a senior wide receiver who was Second Team All-NESCAC last year. McNamara had seven catches last week for 52 yards and was one of the few bright spots on a dreary day for the Bobcats' offense.
"We know the quarterback this week has a strong arm, and they have talented wide receivers and running backs," McDavitt said. "I think they will have a more complex package than Hamilton. We just have to stay disciplined and follow our game plan."
Samko will approach tomorrow's game like any other, despite the special significance of Homecoming.
"I don't look at it as any more pressure," Samko said. "It may be more exciting. There's pressure every time they go out there-you try to use it as a catalyst.
"We only get to play eight games," he continued. "We shouldn't have to charge them up for anything."
The players echoed this sentiment. Beyond impressing the fans, the team sees tomorrow's game as a chance to push its record to 2-0 and lay a good foundation for the remainder of the season.
"Every game, we are really focused-we know what we want to do," Halas said. "Goal number one is to always win and put out our best performance. I would say the guys are pretty excited to put on a good show for a growing crowd."
The coaching staff is hoping for an effort similar to the one that propelled the Jumbos to victory last weekend, but that won't be an easy
task.
"We've got to do the same things we did last week," Samko said. "I thought we played extremely hard, intelligently, and didn't turn the ball over. If you don't turn the ball over and you play physically, you should have a pretty good chance to win the game."
